Storage and retrieval system

ABSTRACT

A storage and retrieval system including a vertical array of storage levels, each storage level having storage locations, a multilevel vertical conveyor system configured to transport the uncontained case units to and from the vertical array of storage levels, each storage level being configured to receive uncontained case units from the multilevel vertical conveyor system, at least one autonomous transport confined to each storage level, the at least one autonomous transport being configured to transport the uncontained case units between respective storage locations and the multilevel vertical conveyor system, and a controller configured to effect operation of the multilevel vertical conveyor system and at least one autonomous transport for assembling orders of uncontained case units of different types without moving bundles of the same uncontained case unit type throughout the storage and retrieval system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 14/253,556 filed on Jun. 2, 2014 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,725,239), which is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 12/757,381 filed on Apr. 9, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No.8,740,538) which claims priority from and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/168,349 filed on Apr. 10, 2009,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/757,337 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,594,835), entitled “CONTROL SYSTEM FORSTORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS,” filed on Apr. 9, 2010; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/757,220 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,096,375), entitled“STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM,” filed on Apr. 9, 2010; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/757,354, entitled “LIFT INTERFACE FOR STORAGEAND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS,” filed on Apr. 9, 2010; and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/757,312 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,425,173), entitled“AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTS FOR STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS,” filed on Apr.9, 2010, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference hereinin their entireties.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The exemplary embodiments generally relate to material handling systemsand, more particularly, to automated storage and retrieval systems.

2. Brief Description of Related Developments

Warehouses for storing case units may generally comprise a series ofstorage racks that are accessible by transport devices such as, forexample, fork lifts, carts and elevators that are movable within aislesbetween or along the storage racks or by other lifting and transportingdevices. These transport devices may be automated or manually driven.Generally the items stored on the storage racks are contained incarriers, for example, storage containers such as trays, totes orshipping cases, or on pallets. Generally, incoming pallets to thewarehouse (such as from manufacturers) contain shipping containers (e.g.cases) of the same type of goods. Outgoing pallets leaving thewarehouse, for example, to retailers have increasingly been made of whatmay be referred to as mixed pallets. As may be realized, such mixedpallets are made of shipping containers (e.g. totes or cases such ascartons, etc.) containing different types of goods. For example, onecase on the mixed pallet may hold grocery products (soup can, soda cans,etc.) and another case on the same pallet may hold cosmetic or householdcleaning or electronic products. Indeed some cases may hold differenttypes of products within a single case. Conventional warehousingsystems, including conventional automated warehousing systems do notlend themselves to efficient generation of mixed goods pallets. Inaddition, storing case units in, for example carriers or on palletsgenerally does not allow for the retrieval of individual case unitswithin those carriers or pallets without transporting the carriers orpallets to a workstation for manual or automated removal of theindividual case units.

It would be advantageous to have a storage and retrieval system forefficiently storing and retrieving individual case units withoutcontaining those case units in a carrier or on a pallet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and other features of the disclosed embodimentsare explained in the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary storage and retrievalsystem in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2-4 illustrate schematic plan views of storage and retrievalsystems having different configurations in accordance with the exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a structural portion of a storage and retrievalsystem in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate storage shelves in accordance with anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7A illustrates a conventional organization of item storage in astorage bay;

FIG. 7B illustrates an organization of items in a storage bay inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7C illustrates a comparison of unused storage space between theitem storage of FIG. 7A and the item storage of FIG. 7B; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a portion of a structural portion of the storage andretrieval system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

FIG. 1 generally schematically illustrates a storage and retrievalsystem 100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. Although theembodiments disclosed will be described with reference to theembodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that theembodiments disclosed can be embodied in many alternate forms. Inaddition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materialscould be used.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment the storage and retrievalsystem 100 may operate in a retail distribution center or warehouse to,for example, fulfill orders received from retail stores for case units(where case units as used herein means items not stored in trays, ontotes or on pallets, e.g. uncontained). It is noted that the case unitsmay include cases of items (e.g. case of soup cans, boxes of cereal,etc.) or individual items that are adapted to be taken off of or placedon a pallet. In accordance with the exemplary embodiments, shippingcases or case units (e.g. cartons, barrels, boxes, crates, jugs, or anyother suitable device for holding case units) may have variable sizesand may be used to hold items in shipping and may be configured so theyare capable of being palletized for shipping. It is noted that when, forexample, bundles or pallets of case units arrive at the storage andretrieval system the content of each pallet may be uniform (e.g. eachpallet holds a predetermined number of the same item—one pallet holdssoup and another pallet holds cereal) and as pallets leave the storageand retrieval system the pallets may contain any suitable number andcombination of different items (e.g. each pallet may hold differenttypes of items—a pallet holds a combination of soup and cereal). Inalternate embodiments the storage and retrieval system described hereinmay be applied to any environment in which case units are stored andretrieved.

The storage and retrieval system 100 may be configured for installationin, for example, existing warehouse structures or adapted to newwarehouse structures. In one exemplary embodiment, the storage andretrieval system may include in-feed and out-feed transfer stations 170,160, multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B, a storage structure 130,and a number of autonomous vehicular transport robots 110 (referred toherein as “bots”). In alternate embodiments the storage and retrievalsystem may also include robot or bot transfer stations (as described in,for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/757,220 (now U.S. Pat.No. 3,036,375), entitled “STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM,” previouslyincorporated by reference herein) that may provide an indirect interfacebetween the bots and the multilevel vertical conveyor 150A, 150B. Thein-feed transfer stations 170 and out-feed transfer stations 160 mayoperate together with their respective multilevel vertical conveyors150A, 150B for bi-directionally transferring case units to and from oneor more levels of the storage structure 130. It is noted that while themultilevel vertical conveyors are described herein as being dedicatedinbound conveyors 150A and outbound conveyors 150B, in alternateembodiments each of the conveyors 150A, 150B may be used for bothinbound and outbound transfer of case units/items from the storage andretrieval system. The multilevel vertical conveyors may be substantiallysimilar to those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/757,354, entitled “LIFT INTERFACE FOR STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS,”and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/757,220, entitled “STORAGE ANDRETRIEVAL SYSTEM”, previously incorporated by reference herein. Forexample, the multilevel vertical conveyors may have any suitable numberof support shelves for transporting the case units to a predeterminedlevel of the storage and retrieval system. The support shelves may haveslatted supports configured to allow fingers of the bots 110 orin-feed/out-feed transfer stations 170, 160 to pass between the slatsfor transferring case units to and from the conveyor.

As may be realized, the storage and retrieval system 100 may includemultiple in-feed and out-feed multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150Bthat are accessible by, for example, bots 110 on each level of thestorage and retrieval system 100 so that one or more case unit(s),uncontained or without containment (e.g. case unit(s) are not sealed intrays), can be transferred from a multilevel vertical conveyor 150A,150B to each storage space on a respective level and from each storagespace to any one of the multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B on arespective level. The bots 110 may be configured to transfer theuncontained case units between the storage spaces and the multilevelvertical conveyors with one pick (e.g. substantially directly betweenthe storage spaces and the multilevel vertical conveyors). By way offurther example, the designated bot 110 picks the uncontained caseunit(s) from a shelf of a multilevel vertical conveyor, transports theuncontained case unit(s) to a predetermined storage area of the storagestructure 130 and places the uncontained case unit(s) in thepredetermined storage area (and vice versa).

The bots 110 may be configured to place case units, such as the abovedescribed retail merchandise, into picking stock in the one or morelevels of the storage structure 130 and then selectively retrieveordered items for shipping the ordered items to, for example, a store orother suitable location. In one exemplary embodiment, the foots 110 mayinterface directly with the multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150Bthrough, for example, extension of a transfer arm or effector of the bot(which may have fingers for interfacing with slatted support shelves ofthe multi-level vertical conveyors) relative to a frame of the bot. Thebots may be substantially similar to those described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/757,312 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,425,173), entitled“AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTS FOR STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS,” previouslyincorporated by reference herein.

The storage structure 130 may include multiple levels of storage rackmodules where each level includes an array of storage spaces (arrayed onthe multiple levels and in multiple rows on each level), picking aisles130A formed between the rows of storage spaces, and transfer decks 130B.In alternate embodiments, each level may also include respective bottransfer stations for providing an indirect interface between the botsand the multilevel vertical conveyors. In this exemplary embodiment, thepicking aisles 130A and transfer decks 130B may be arranged for allowingthe dots 110 to traverse respective levels of the storage structure 130for placing case units into picking stock and to retrieve the orderedcase units. As may be realized, the storage and retrieval system may beconfigured to allow random accessibility to the storage spaces. Forexample, all storage spaces in the storage structure 130 may be treatedsubstantially equally when determining which storage spaces are to beused when picking and placing case units from/to the storage structure130 such that any storage space of sufficient size can be used to storeitems. The storage structure 130 of the exemplary embodiments may alsobe arranged such that there is no vertical or horizontal arraypartitioning of the storage structure. For example, each multilevelvertical conveyor 150A, 150B is common to all storage spaces (e.g. thearray of storage spaces) in the storage structure 130 such that any bot110 can access each storage space and any multilevel vertical conveyor150A, 150B can receive case units from any storage space on any level sothat the multiple levels in the array of storage spaces substantiallyact as a single level (e.g. no vertical partitioning). The multilevelvertical conveyors 150A, 150B can also receive case units from anystorage space on any level of the storage structure 130 (e.g. nohorizontal partitioning).

The storage structure 130 may also include charging stations 130C forreplenishing, for example, a battery pack of the bots 110. In oneexemplary embodiment, the charging stations 130C may be located at, forexample, transfer areas 295 (FIGS. 2-4) of the transfer deck 130B sothat the bots 110 can substantially simultaneously transfer items, forexample, to and from a multilevel vertical conveyor 150A, 150B whilebeing charged. The bots 110 and other suitable features of the storageand retrieval system 100 may be controlled by, for example, one or morecentral system control computers (e.g. control server) 120 through, forexample, any suitable network 180. The network 180 may be a wirednetwork, a wireless network or a combination of a wireless and wirednetwork using any suitable type and/or number of communicationprotocols. It is noted that, in one exemplary embodiment, the systemcontrol server 120 may be configured to manage and coordinate theoverall operation of the storage and retrieval system 100 and interfacewith, for example, a warehouse management system, which in turn managesthe warehouse facility as a whole. The control server 120 may besubstantially similar to that described in, for example, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/757,337, entitled “CONTROL SYSTEM FOR STORAGEAMD RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS,” previously incorporated by reference herein.

As an exemplary operation of an order fulfillment process of the storageand retrieval system 100, case units for replenishing the picking stockare input at, for example, depalletizing workstations 210 (FIG. 2) sothat items bundled together on pallets (or other suitable container-liketransport supports) are separated and individually carried on, forexample, conveyors 240 (FIG. 2) or other suitable transfer mechanisms(e.g. manned or automated carts, etc.) to the in-feed transfer stations170. The in-feed transfer stations 170 assemble the case units intopickfaces (e.g. which include one or more case units) and load thepickfaces onto respective multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, whichcarry the pickfaces to a predetermined level of the storage structure130. Bots 110 interface with the multilevel vertical conveyor 150A at,for example, the transfer areas 295 for removing the pickfaces from themultilevel vertical conveyor 150A. The bots transfer the pickfaces frontthe multilevel vertical conveyor 150A to a predetermined storage moduleof the storage structure 130.

As may be realized, pickfaces/items of the same type may be stored indifferent locations within the storage structure so that at least one ofthat type of pickface/item may be retrieved when other ones of that typeof pickface/item are inaccessible. The storage and retrieval system mayalso be configured to provide multiple access paths or routes to eachstorage location (e.g. pickface) so that bots may reach each storagelocation using, for example, a secondary path if a primary path to thestorage location is obstructed. It is noted that the control server 120and one or more sensors on the bots 110 may allow for the assignment andreservation of a pickface for putting away an inbound item such asduring replenishment of the storage and retrieval system 100. In oneexemplary embodiment, when a storage slot/place becomes available in thestorage structure 130, the control server 120 may assign a fictitiousitem (e.g. an empty case) to the empty storage slot. If there areadjacent empty slots in the storage structure the empty cases of theadjacent storage slots may be combined to fill the empty space on thestorage shelf.

The size of the slots may be variable such as when dynamicallyallocating shelf space. For example, referring also to FIGS. 7A-7C,instead of placing case units 5011 and 5012 in predetermined storageareas on the storage shelf 5001, the storage slots may be dynamicallyallocated such that the cases 5011, 5012 are replaced by three caseshaving the size of case unit 5010. For example, FIG. 7A illustrates astorage bay 5000 divided into storage slots S1-S4 as is done inconventional storage systems. The size of the storage slots S1-S4 may bea fixed size dependent on a size of the largest item (e.g. item 5011) tobe stored on the shelf 600 of the storage bay 5000. As can be seen inFIG. 7A, when case units 5010, 5012, 5013 of varying dimensions, whichare smaller than case unit 5011, are placed in a respective storage slotS1, S2, S4 a significant portion of the storage bay capacity, asindicated by the shaded boxes, remains unused. In accordance with anexemplary embodiment, FIG. 7B illustrates a storage bay 5001 havingdimensions substantially similar to storage bay 5000. In FIG. 7B thecase units 5010-5016 are placed on the shelf 600 using dynamicallocation such that the empty storage slots are substantiallycontinuously resized as uncontained case units are placed on the storageshelves (e.g. the storage slots do not have a predetermined size and/orlocation on the storage shelves). As can be seen in FIG. 7B, dynamicallyallocating the storage space allows placement of case units 5014-5016 onshelf 600 in addition to case units 5010-5013 (which are the same caseunits placed in storage bay 5000 described above) such that the unusedstorage space, as indicated by the hatched boxed, is less than theunused storage space using the fixed sizes slots of FIG. 7A. FIG. 7Cillustrates a side by side comparison of the unused storage space forthe fixed slots and dynamic allocation storage described above. It isnoted that the unused storage space of bay 5001 using dynamic allocationmay be decreased even further by decreasing the amount of space betweenthe case units 5010-5016 which may allow for placement of additionalcase units on the shelf 600.

As case units are placed within the storage structure the open storagespaces may be analyzed, by for example the control server 120, aftereach case unit's placement and dynamically re-allocated according to achanged size of the open storage space so that additional case unitshaving a size corresponding to (or less than) a size of the reallocatedstorage space may be placed in the reallocated storage space. Inalternate embodiments, the storage slots may also be allocated so thatcase units that are frequently picked together are located next to eachother. When a predetermined storage space is reserved for apickface/case unit that is being delivered, at least a portion of theempty case sitting in the location where the case unit is to be placedis replaced by a fictitious case unit having the features (e.g. size,etc.) of the case unit being delivered to prevent other inbound caseunits from being assigned to the predetermined pickface. If the caseunit is smaller than the empty case that it is replacing, the empty casemay be resized or replaced with a smaller empty case to fill the unusedportion of the storage shelf. Another case unit may then be placedwithin the storage slot corresponding to the resized smaller empty caseand so on.

When an order for individual case units is made the bots 110 retrievethe corresponding pickface from a designated storage module of thestorage structure 130 and transfer the ordered case units to apredetermined transfer area 295 located on a level of the storagestructure 130 from which the ordered case units were picked. The betinterfaces with multilevel vertical conveyor 150B (e.g. in a mannersubstantially similar to the transfer of items between the bots 110 andshelves 600 as described herein) at the transfer area 295 fortransferring the pickface to the multilevel vertical conveyor 150B. Themultilevel vertical conveyor 150B transports the pickface to theout-feed transfer stations 160 where the individual case unit (s) of thepickface are transported to palletizing workstations 220 (FIG. 2) byconveyors 230 (FIG. 2) where the individual case units are placed onoutbound pallets (or other suitable container-like transport supports)for shipping to a customer. The out-feed transfer stations 160 and thepalletizing workstations 220 may be referred to collectively as an orderassembly station. Other examples, of material handling systems in whichitems are transferred to an outbound container can be found in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/928,289 filed on Aug. 28, 2004, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/002,305 filed on Dec. 14, 2007, thedisclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety. As may be realized, the storage and retrieval system describedherein allows for ordering mixed case units of any suitable quantitywithout having to pick and transport, for example, entire trays, totesor pallets of items to and from the storage structure 130.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, exemplary configurations of the storage andretrieval system 100 are shown. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the storageand retrieval system 200 is configured as a single-ended pickingstructure in which only one side of the system 200 has a transfersection or deck 130B. The single-ended picking structure may be used in,for example, a building or other structure having loading docks disposedonly on one side of the building. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the transferdeck 130B and picking aisles 130A allow bots 110 to traverse an entiretyof a level of the storage structure 130 on which that bot 110 is locatedfor transporting items between any suitable storage locations/pickingaisles 130A and any suitable multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B.In this exemplary embodiment, the storage and retrieval system 200includes a first and second storage section 230A, 230B located side byside so that the picking aisles of each section are substantiallyparallel with each other and facing the same direction (e.g. towardstransfer deck 130B).

FIG. 3 illustrates a storage and retrieval system 300 having a doublesided picking structure for use in, for example, buildings or otherstructures having loading docks on two sides of the building. In FIG. 3the storage and retrieval system 300 includes two storage sections 340A,340B that are arranged so that the picking aisles 130A in each of thestorage sections 340A, 340B are parallel with each other but facingopposing directions such that substantially continuous picking aislesare formed between the opposing transfer decks 330A, 330B. As may berealized, an express travel lane 335 may be located between the opposingtransfer decks 330A, 330B for allowing bots 110 to transit between thetransfer decks 330A, 330B at greater speeds than those allowed withinthe picking aisles 130A. As may also be realized the bots 110 on eachlevel of the picking structure of FIG. 3 may traverse the entirety ofits respective level such that the bot 110 may serve to transport itemsthroughout the two storage sections 340A, 340B and to and fromrespective input and output workstations.

FIG. 4 illustrates a storage and retrieval system 400 substantiallysimilar to storage and retrieval system 300. However, the storage andretrieval system 400 illustrates maintenance access gateways 410A, 410B,410C for allowing, as an example, humans and/or service equipment toenter the storage and retrieval system for performing maintenance and/orrepairs to the storage and retrieval system 400. The storage andretrieval systems may also be configured with suitable features fordisabling one or more bots 110, conveyors or any other suitable featuresof the storage and retrieval systems in one or more areas of the storageand retrieval system 100 when maintenance is being performed within thestorage and retrieval system 100. In one example, the control server 120may be configured to disable/enable features of the storage andretrieval system.

The storage and retrieval system, such as those described above withrespect to FIGS. 2-4 may be configured to allow substantially unimpededaccess to substantially all areas of the storage and retrieval system inthe event of, for example, a stoppage in the system so that the systemcontinues operation with substantially no or minimized loss inthroughput. A stoppage in the system may include, but is not limited to,a disabled bot 110 within a picking aisle or on a transfer deck, adisabled multilevel vertical conveyor 150A, 150B and/or a disabledin-feed or out-feed transfer station 160, 170. As may be realized, thestorage and retrieval system 200, 300, 400 may be configured to allowsubstantially redundant access to each of the storage locations withinthe picking aisles. For example, a loss of an input multilevel verticalconveyor 150A may result in substantially no loss of storage space orthroughput as there are multiple input multilevel vertical conveyors150A that can transport case units to each level/storage space withinthe storage structure 130. As another example, the loss of a bot out ofa picking aisle may result in substantially no loss of storage space orthroughput as there are multiple bots 110 on each level capable oftransferring case units between any one of the storage spaces and anyone of the multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B. In still anotherexample, the loss of a foot 110 within a picking aisle may result insubstantially no loss of storage space or throughput as only a portionof a picking aisle is blocked and the storage and retrieval system maybe configured to provide multiple paths of travel to each of the storagespaces or types of case units within the storage spaces. In yet anotherexample, a loss of an output multilevel vertical conveyor 150B mayresult in substantially no loss of storage space or throughput as thereare multiple output multilevel vertical conveyors 150B that cantransport case units from each level/storage space within the storagestructure 130. In the exemplary embodiments, transport of the case units(e.g. via the multilevel vertical conveyors and bots) is substantiallyindependent of storage capacity and case unit distribution and viceversa (e.g. the storage capacity and case unit distribution issubstantially independent of transport of the case units) such thatthere is substantially no single point of failure in either storagecapacity or throughput of case units through the storage and retrievalsystem.

The control server 120 may be configured to communicate with the bots110, multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B, in-feed or out-feedtransfer stations 160, 170 and other suitable features/components of thestorage and retrieval system in any suitable manner. The bots 110,multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B and transfer stations 160, 170may each have respective controllers that communicate with the controlserver 120 for conveying and/or receiving, for example, a respectiveoperational status, location (in the case of the bots 110) or any othersuitable information. The control server may record the information sentby the bots 110, multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B and transferstations 160, 170 for use in, for example, planning order fulfillment orreplenishment tasks.

As may be realized, any suitable controller of the storage and retrievalsystem such as for example, control server 120, may be configured tocreate any suitable number of alternative pathways for retrieving one ormore case units from their respective storage locations when a pathwayprovided access to those case units is restricted or otherwise blocked.For example, the control server 120 may include suitable programming,memory and other structure for analyzing the information sent by thebots 110, multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B and transfer stations160, 170 for planning a bot's 110 primary or preferred route to apredetermined item within the storage structure. The preferred route maybe the fastest and/or most direct route that the bot 110 can take toretrieve the case units/pickfaces. In alternate embodiments thepreferred route may be any suitable route. The control server 120 mayalso be configured to analyze the information send by the bots 110,multilevel vertical conveyor 150A, 150B and transfer stations 160, 170for determining if there are any obstructions along the preferred route.If there are obstructions along the preferred route the control server120 may determine one or more secondary or alternate routes forretrieving the case units so that the obstruction is avoided and thecase units can be retrieved without any substantial delay in, forexample, fulfilling an order. It should be realized that the bot routeplanning may also occur on the bot 110 itself by, for example, anysuitable control system, such as a control system onboard the bot 110.As an example, the bot control system may be configured to communicatewith the control server 120 for accessing the information from otherbots 110, the multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B and the transferstations 160, 170 for determining the preferred and/or alternate routesfor accessing an item in a manner substantially similar to thatdescribed above. It is noted that the bot control system 1220 mayinclude any suitable programming, memory and/or other structure toeffect the determination of the preferred and/or alternate routes.

Referring to FIG. 4, as a non-limiting example, in an order fulfillmentprocess the bot 110A, which is traversing transfer deck 330A, may beinstructed to retrieve a case unit 499 from picking aisle 131. However,there may be a disabled bot 110B blocking aisle 131 such that the bot110A cannot take a preferred (e.g. the most direct and/or fastest) pathto the case unit 499. In this example, the control server may instructthe bot 110A to traverse an alternate route such as through anyunreserved picking aisle (e.g. an aisle without a bot in it or an aislethat is otherwise unobstructed) so that the bot 110A can travel along,for example, transfer deck 330B. The bot 110A can enter the end of thepicking 131 opposite the blockage from transfer deck 330B so as to avoidthe disabled bot 110B for accessing the case unit 499. In anotherexemplary embodiment, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the storage andretrieval system may include one or more bypass aisles 132 that runsubstantially transverse to the picking aisles to allow the bots 110 tomove between picking aisles 130A in lieu of traversing the transferdecks 330A, 330B. The bypass aisles 132 may be substantially similar totravel lanes of the transfer decks 330A, 330B, as described herein, andmay allow bidirectional or unidirectional travel of the bots through thebypass aisle. The bypass aisle may provide one or more lanes of bottravel where each lane has a floor and suitable guides for guiding thebot along the bypass aisle in a manner similar to that described hereinwith respect to the transfer decks 330A, 330B. In alternate embodiments,the bypass aisles may have any suitable configuration for allowing thebots 110 to traverse between the picking aisles 130A. It is noted thatwhole the bypass aisle 132 is shown with respect to a storage andretrieval system having transfer decks 330A, 330B disposed on oppositeends of the storage structure, in other exemplary embodiments, storageand retrieval system having only one transfer deck, such as shown inFIG. 2, may also include one or more bypass aisles 132. As may also berealized, if one of the in-feed or out-feed transfer stations 160, 170become disabled order fulfillment or replenishment tasks may bedirected, by for example, control server 120, to other ones of thein-feed and out-feed transfer stations 160, 170 without substantialdisruption of the storage and retrieval system.

The storage and retrieval systems shown in FIGS. 2-4 have exemplaryconfigurations only and in alternate embodiments the storage andretrieval systems may have any suitable configuration and components forstoring and retrieving items as described herein. For example, inalternate embodiments the storage and retrieval system may have anysuitable number of storage sections, any suitable number of transferdecks and corresponding input and output workstations. As an example, astorage and retrieval system in accordance with the exemplaryembodiments may include transfer decks and corresponding input andoutput stations located on three or four sides of the storage sectionsfor serving, for example, loading docks disposed on various sides of abuilding.

Referring also to FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B, the storage structure 130 will bedescribed in greater detail. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment,the storage structure 130 includes, for example, any suitable number ofvertical supports 612 and any suitable number of horizontal supports610, 611, 613. It is noted that the terms vertical and horizontal areused for exemplary purposes only and that the supports of the storagestructure 130 may have any suitable spatial orientation. In thisexemplary embodiment, the vertical supports 612 and horizontal supports610, 611, 613 may form an array of storage modules 501, 502, 503 havingstorage bays 510, 511. The horizontal supports 610, 611, 613 may beconfigured to support the storage shelves 600 (described below) as wellas the floors 130F for the aisle spaces 130A, which may include tracksfor the bots 110. The horizontal supports 610, 611, 613 may beconfigured to minimize the number of splices between horizontal supports610, 611, 613 and thus, the number of splices that, for example, tiresof the bots 110 will encounter. For exemplary purposes only, the aislefloor 130F may be a solid floor constructed of plymetal panels having,for example, a wood core sandwiched between sheets of sheet metal. Inalternate embodiments the floors 130F may have any suitable layered,laminated, solid or other construction and be constructed of anysuitable material(s), including, but not limited to plastics, metals,woods and composites. In yet other alternate embodiments the aislefloors 130F may be constructed of a honeycomb structure or othersuitable lightweight yet substantially rigid structure. The aisle floors130F may be coated or treated with wear resistant materials or includereplaceable sheets or panels that may be replaced when worn. Tracks 1300(FIG. 8) for the bots 110 may be incorporated into or otherwise affixedto the aisle floors 130F for guiding the bots 110 in substantiallystraight lines or paths of travel while the bots 110 are travelingwithin the storage structure 130. Suitable examples of tracks 1300 aredescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/757,312 (now U.S. Pat.No. 8,425,173), entitled “AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTS FOR STORAGE ANDRETRIEVAL SYSTEMS,” previously incorporated by reference. The floors130F may be attached to, for example, one or more of the vertical andhorizontal supports (or any other suitable support structure) in anysuitable manner such as with any suitable fasteners including, but notlimited to bolts and welds.

In one exemplary embodiment, as can be seen in, for example, FIG. 8, thetracks or rails 1300 may be integrally formed with or otherwise fixedto, for example, one or more of the horizontal and vertical supports398, 399 of the storage rack structure 130 in any suitable manner suchthat the bot straddles adjacent tracks 1300 for traversing a pickingaisle. The tracks 1300 may allow for high-speed travel of the foot 110without complex steering and navigation control subsystems. The tracksmay have any suitable configuration for guiding the bot 110. As can beseen in FIG. 8 fixing the rails 1300 to the supports 398, 399 allows thepicking aisles to be substantially floor-less such that bot wheelsupports 1300S of the guide rails 1300 extend away from the storageareas a predetermined distance to allow a sufficient surface area forthe wheels of the bot 110 to ride along the rails 1300. In alternateembodiments the picking aisles may have any suitable floor that extendsbetween adjacent storage areas on either side of the picking aisle. Inone exemplary embodiment, the rails 1300 may include a friction member1300F for providing traction to the drive wheels of the bot 110. Thefriction member 1300F may be any suitable member such as for example, acoating, an adhesive backed strip, or any other suitable member thatsubstantially creates a friction surface for interacting with the wheelsof the foot 110. The absence of floors on each picking level may allowmaintenance personnel to walk down the picking aisles where the heightbetween each storage level would otherwise substantially prevent themaintenance personnel from traversing the picking aisles.

Referring back to FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B, each of the storage bays 510, 511may hold the picking stock on storage shelves 600 that are separated byaisle spaces 130A. It is noted that in one exemplary embodiment thevertical supports 612 and/or horizontal supports 610, 611, 613 may beconfigured to allow for adjusting the height or elevation of the storageshelves and/or aisle floors 130F relative to, for example, each otherand a floor of the facility in which the storage and retrieval system islocated. In alternate embodiments the storage shelves and floors may befixed in elevation. As can be seen in FIG. 5, storage module 501 isconfigured as an end module having, for example, about half the width ofthe other storage modules 502, 503. As an example, the end module 501may have a wall located on one side and the aisle space 130A located onthe opposite side. The depth D1 of end module 501 may be such thataccess to the storage shelves 600 on module 501 is achieved by the aislespace 130A located on but one side of the storage module 501, whereasthe storage shelves 600 of modules 502, 503 may be accessed by storageaisles 130A located on both sides of the modules 502, 503 allowing for,as an example, the storage modules 502, 503 having a depth substantiallytwice that of the depth D1 of storage module 501.

The storage shelves 600 may include one or more support legs 620L1,620L2 extending from, for example, the horizontal supports 610, 611,613. The support legs 620L1, 620L2 may have any suitable configurationand may be part of, for example, a substantially U-shaped channel 620such that the legs are connected to each other through channel portion620B. The channel portion 620B may provide an attachment point betweenthe channel 620 and one or more horizontal supports 610, 611, 613. Inalternate embodiments, each support leg 620L1, 620L2 may be configuredto individually mount to the horizontal supports 610, 611, 613. In thisexemplary embodiment, each support leg 620L1, 620L2 includes a bentportion 620H1, 620H2 having a suitable surface area configured tosupport case units stored on the shelves 600. The bent portions 620H1,620H2 may be configured to substantially prevent deformation of the caseunits stored on the shelves. In alternate embodiments the leg portions620H1, 620H2 may have a suitable thickness or have any other suitableshape and/or configuration for supporting case units stored on theshelves. As can be seen in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the support legs 620L1,620L2 or channels 620 may form a slatted or corrugated shelf structurewhere spaces 620S between, for example, the support legs 620L1, 620L2allow for arms or fingers of the bots 110 to reach into the shelving fortransferring case units to and from the shelves. It is noted that thesupport legs 620L1, 620L2 of the shelves 600 may be configured forstoring case units, where adjacent items are spaced any suitabledistance from each other. For example, a pitch or spacing between thesupport legs 620L1, 620L2 in the direction of arrow 698 may be such thatthe case units are placed on the shelves 600 with a distance of aboutone pitch between the case units to, for example, minimize contactbetween case units as the case units are placed and removed from theshelves by the bots 110. For exemplary purposes only, case units locatedadjacent one another may be spaced apart in, for example, direction 698a distance of about 2.54 cm. It is also noted that transfer of items toand from the multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B (whether thetransfer is made directly or indirectly by the foot 110) may occur in asubstantially similar manner to that described above with respect to thestorage shelves 600. In alternate embodiments, the spacing between thecase units on the shelves may be any suitable spacing. It is also notedthat transfer of case units to and from the multilevel verticalconveyors 150A, 150B (whether the transfer is made directly orindirectly by the bot 110) may occur in a substantially similar mannerto that described above with respect to storage shelves 600.

Referring again to FIGS. 2-4, at the end of each aisle in the storagestructure 130 there may be a transition bay 290 (FIG. 2) that allows thebots 110 to transition onto the transfer decks 130B. As described above,the transfer decks 130 may be located at one or more ends of the aisles130A. In one example, the transition bay 290 may be configured to allowthe bots 110 to transition from travel along a rail(s) within the aisles130A to travel that is free from being constrained by rails within thetransfer decks 130B and to merge with bot traffic on the transfer decks130B. The transfer decks 130B may include a stacked or vertical arrayof, for example, substantially looped decks, where each level of thestorage structure 130 includes one or more respective transfer decks130. In alternate embodiments the transfer-decks may have any suitableshape and configuration. The transfer decks 130B may be unidirectionaldecks (i.e. the bots 110 travel in a single predetermined directionaround the transfer deck 130B) configured to connect all of the pickingaisles 130A on a respective level to corresponding input and outputmultilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B on the respective level. Inalternate embodiments, the transfer decks may foe bidirectional forallowing the bots to travel in substantially opposite direction aroundthe transfer decks. To allow the bots 110 to access the multilevelvertical conveyors 150A, 150B without obstructing the travel lanes ofthe transfer decks 130B, each transfer deck 130B may be configured withspurs or transfer areas 295 which may extend from the transfer decks130B. In one exemplary embodiment the transfer areas 295 may includetracks substantially similar to tracks 1300 (FIG. 4) for guiding thebots 110 to the multilevel vertical conveyors 150A, 150B or in alternateembodiments bot transfer stations. In alternate embodiments, the botsmay travel and be guided within the transfer areas 295 in a mannersubstantially similar to that described herein with respect to thetransfer decks.

The travel lanes of the transfer decks 130B may be wider than the travellanes within the aisles of the storage structure 130. For exemplarypurposes only, travel lanes of the transfer decks 130B may be configuredto allow the bots 110 to make different types of turns (as described inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/757,312 (now U.S. Pat. No.8,425,173), entitled “AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTS FOR STORAGE AMD RETRIEVALSYSTEMS,” previously incorporated by reference) when, for example,transitioning onto or off of the transfer decks 130B. The differenttypes of turns may correspond to a desired orientation of the bot 110within the storage aisles 130A or a lane of the transfer deck 130B onwhich the bot 110 is travelling. The floor 330F of the transfer decksmay have any suitable construction configured to support the bots 110 asthey traverse their respective transfer deck(s) 130B. For exemplarypurposes only, the transfer deck floors 330F may be substantiallysimilar to the aisle floors 130F described above. In alternateembodiments the transfer deck floors 330F may have any suitableconfiguration and/or construction. The transfer deck floors 330F may besupported by a lattice of frames and columns that may be connected to,for example, one or more of the vertical supports 612 and horizontalsupports 610, 611, 613 in any suitable manner. For example, in oneexemplary embodiment the transfer decks may include cantilevered armsthat may be driven or otherwise inserted into corresponding slots,recesses or other openings in one or more of the vertical supports 612and horizontal supports 610, 611, 613. In alternate embodiments thetransfer deck floors 330F may be supported by a structure substantiallysimilar to that described above with respect to FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B. Asmay be realized, the pitch of the transfer deck floors 330F may besubstantially similar to the pitch of the respective aisle floors 130F.

In one exemplary embodiment, the storage structure 130 may includepersonnel floors 280 (which may include the maintenance access gateways410A-410C) associated with each level of the storage structure. Thepersonnel floors may be located, for example, within or adjacent to theaisles of the storage structure and/or the transfer decks 130B. Inalternate embodiments, the personnel floors 280 may be suitably locatedto provided reach in access to one side of the transfer decks 130B fromwithin the storage structure where the other opposite side of thetransfer decks 130B is accessed through work platforms/scaffoldingadjacent the workstations 210, 220 and/or multilevel vertical conveyors.In one exemplary embodiment, the personnel floors 280 may run the fulllength of each aisle 130A or transfer deck 130B. In alternateembodiments the personnel floors 280 may have any suitable length. Thepersonnel floors 280 may be vertically spaced from each other atpredetermined intervals where the space between the personnel floors 280provides a personnel work zone for resolving problems with, asnon-limiting examples, the bots 110, items stored in the storagestructure 130 and the storage structure 130 itself. The personnel floors280 may be configured to provide walking surfaces for, as an example,maintenance technicians or other personnel where the walking zones aredistinct from travel lanes of the bots 110. Access to the personnelfloors may be provided through the maintenance access gateways 410A-410Cor any other-suitable access point. Movable barriers or other suitablestructures may be provided along the aisles 130A and transfer decks 130Bto further separate unintentional interaction between, for example thebots 110 and personnel. In one exemplary embodiment, in normal operationthe movable barriers may be in a stowed or retracted position to allow,for example, the bot 110 to pass and access the storage shelves 600. Themovable barriers may be placed in an extended position when personnelare located in a predetermined zone or location of the storage structure130 to block foot 110 access to the aisle(s) or portions of the transferdecks where personnel are located. In one exemplary operation of storagestructure maintenance for a predetermined zone of the storage structure130, all active bots 110 may be removed from the predetermined zone.Bots 110 that require maintenance may be disabled and de-energizedwithin the predetermined zone. The movable barriers may be extended toprevent active foots 110 from entering the predetermined zone and anylocks preventing access to the personnel floors may be unlocked orremoved. The extension and retraction of the movable barriers, disablingof the bots 110 and removal of bots 110 from the predetermined zone maybe controlled in any suitable manner such as by, for example, anysuitable control system such as a central controller server 120 andmechanical and/or electromechanical interlocks. It is noted that inalternate embodiments, the storage and retrieval system may include anysuitable personnel access not limited to that described above.

The structure, such as structure 130, of the storage and retrievalsystems described herein may be configured to sustain predeterminedloads placed on the structure by normal service and events such as, forexemplary purposes only, earthquakes as defined by local and federalcodes. As an example, these loads may include the dead weight of thestructure, inventory stored in and transferred throughout the structure,the bots 110, seismic loads, thermal expansion and sufficient stiffnessfor bot control and positioning. The structure of the storage andretrieval systems 100 may also be configured for ease of assembly,maintenance access, modularity and efficient and economical materialuse. Non-limiting examples, of the codes to which the structure may beconfigured to comply include ASCE7, AISC Manual of Steel Construction,AISC Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges, RMI(Rack Manufacturers Institute) and Materials Handling Industry ofAmerica. The structural components (e.g. vertical/horizontal supports,floors, etc.) of the storage and retrieval systems described herein mayalso include wear and/or corrosion resistant coatings including surfacetreatments such as, for example, paints and galvanization. In oneexample, the coating may include a base coating and a contrasting topcoating such that any wearing of the top coating will be readilyvisible. In alternate embodiments the coatings and surface treatmentsmay have any suitable configurations and colors so that wear is easilyidentifiable.

The storage structure 130 may be configured to be rapidly assembled andinstalled in the field in a “bottom up construction” (e.g. each level isconstructed sequentially such that lower levels in the sequence aresubstantially completed before the upper levels in the sequence). Forexample, the vertical supports 612 and/or horizontal supports 610, 611,613 (and/or any other components of the storage structure 130) may bepredrilled, punched or otherwise preformed with assembly holes. Baseplates for supporting each of the vertical supports 612 and for securingthe vertical supports 612 to a floor may be preinstalled on therespective vertical supports 612. Templates may be provided for locatinganchor bolts in the floor for securing the base plates. The verticalsupports 612 may be configured with brackets for receiving and at leastpartially securing the horizontal supports 610, 611, 613. Preformedholes in the horizontal supports may also be used to, for example, boltor otherwise fasten the horizontal supports to the vertical supports.The shelves 600 may be field assembled from prefinished components andaffixed to, for example, the horizontal supports 610, 611, 613 in anysuitable manner. Separate braces such as ties may be also provided forsecuring the horizontal supports 610, 611, 613. The transfer decks 130Bmay be installed in a manner substantially similar to that describedabove. The floors and decking of the storage structure 130 may beaffixed to the horizontal supports in any suitable manner, such as forexample through fasteners. The floors and decking may be preformed withinstallation holes to allow for securing the floors and decking to thehorizontal supports. The tracking 1300 (FIG. 4) for the bots 110 may bepreinstalled on or within the aisle flooring or installed in the fieldusing for example, preformed holes or other installation guides such astemplates. It is noted that in alternate embodiments, the storagestructure 130 may be constructed and assembled in any suitable manner.

It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described hereinmay be used individually or in any suitable combination thereof. Itshould also be understood that the foregoing description is onlyillustrative of the embodiments. Various alternatives and modificationscan be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from theembodiments. Accordingly, the present embodiments are intended toembrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances that fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage and retrieval system comprising: avertical array of storage levels, each storage level having storagelocations arranged in substantially parallel rows separated by pickingaisles having transport guide ways and an autonomous transport travelloop distinct from each of the picking aisles, the autonomous transporttravel loop having a longitudinal axis arranged substantially transverseto the picking aisles; an inbound/outbound conveyor system configured totransport uncontained case units to and from the vertical array ofstorage levels, each storage level having infeed and outfeed stationsbeing configured to respectively receive and deliver uncontained caseunits to and from corresponding inbound and outbound conveyors of theinbound/outbound conveyor system; at least one autonomous transportconfined to each storage level, the at least one autonomous transportbeing configured to transport the uncontained case units betweenrespective storage locations and the inbound/outbound conveyor system,the autonomous transport travel loop being configured to provide the atleast one autonomous transport access to each of the picking aisles fortravel along the transport guide ways; and a controller configured toeffect operation of the infeed and outfeed stations with thecorresponding inbound/outbound conveyor system and the at least oneautonomous transport for assembling orders of uncontained case units ofdifferent types without moving bundles of the same uncontained case unittype throughout the storage and retrieval system.
 2. The storage andretrieval system of claim 1, wherein each storage level comprises atleast one inbound/outbound conveyor access station configured to providethe at least one autonomous transport access to the inbound/outboundconveyor system, the autonomous transport travel loop being configuredto provide the at least one autonomous transport access to each of theat least one inbound/outbound conveyor access station.
 3. The storageand retrieval system of claim 2, wherein the storage and retrievalsystem further includes transition bays disposed at an end of eachpicking aisle, the transition bays being configured to provide atransition for the at least one autonomous transport between physicallyunconstrained travel in the autonomous transport travel loop andphysically constrained guided travel within the picking aisles.
 4. Thestorage and retrieval system of claim 2, wherein the at least oneinbound/outbound conveyor access station is configured so as not toobstruct travel along the autonomous transport travel loop.
 5. Thestorage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein each storage levelcomprises a substantially solid floor.
 6. The storage and retrievalsystem of claim 5, wherein the substantially solid floor comprises abase coating and a contrasting top coating that are arranged to identifywearing of the top coating.
 7. The storage and retrieval system of claim1, wherein the storage locations include more than one support legconfigured to support at least one uncontained case unit, the at leastone autonomous transport having fingers configured for insertion betweenthe more than one support leg for transferring the at least oneuncontained case unit between the storage locations and the at least oneautonomous transport.
 8. The storage and retrieval system of claim 1,wherein the autonomous transport travel loop is disposed on at least onetransfer deck of the storage and retrieval system.
 9. The storage andretrieval system of claim 8, wherein the at least one transfer deck isdisposed on one end of the picking aisles for forming a single sidedpicking structure.
 10. The storage and retrieval system of claim 8,wherein the at least one transfer deck comprises two transfer decksdisposed at opposite ends of the picking aisles for forming a two sidedpicking structure.
 11. A method comprising: providing a storage andretrieval system with a vertical array of storage levels, each storagelevel having storage locations arranged in substantially parallel rowsseparated by picking aisles having transport guide ways and anautonomous transport travel loop distinct from each of the pickingaisles, the autonomous transport travel loop having a longitudinal axisarranged substantially transverse to the picking aisles; providing aninbound/outbound conveyor system configured to transport uncontainedcase units to and from the vertical array of storage levels, eachstorage level having infeed and outfeed stations being configured torespectively receive and deliver uncontained case units to and fromcorresponding inbound and outbound conveyors of the inbound/outboundconveyor system; providing at least one autonomous transport confined toeach storage level, the at least one autonomous transport beingconfigured to transport the uncontained case units between respectivestorage locations and the inbound/outbound conveyor system, theautonomous transport travel loop being configured to provide the atleast one autonomous transport access to each of the picking aisles fortravel along the transport guide ways; and assembling, with a controllereffecting operation of the infeed and outfeed stations with thecorresponding inbound/outbound conveyor system and the at least oneautonomous transport, orders of uncontained case units of differenttypes without moving bundles of the same uncontained case unit typethroughout the storage and retrieval system.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein each storage level comprises at least one inbound/outboundconveyor access station configured to provide the at least oneautonomous transport access to the inbound/outbound conveyor system, themethod further comprising accessing, with the at least one autonomoustransport, each of the at least one inbound/outbound conveyor accessstation via the autonomous transport travel loop.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising transitioning, with transition baysdisposed at an end of each picking aisle, the at least one autonomoustransport between physically unconstrained travel in the autonomoustransport travel loop and physically constrained guided travel withinthe picking aisles.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least oneinbound/outbound conveyor access station is configured so as not toobstruct travel along the autonomous transport travel loop.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein each storage level comprises a substantiallysolid floor.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the substantially solidfloor comprises a base coating and a contrasting top coating that arearranged to identify wearing of the top coating.
 17. The method of claim11, wherein the storage locations include more than one support legconfigured to support at least one uncontained case unit, the methodfurther comprising transferring, with fingers of the at least oneautonomous transport, the at least one uncontained case unit between thestorage locations and the at least one autonomous transport, the fingersbeing configured for insertion between the more than one support leg.18. The method of claim 11, further comprising accessing each of thepicking aisles with the autonomous transport travel loop disposed on atleast one transfer deck of the storage and retrieval system.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the at least one transfer deck is disposedon one end of the picking aisles for forming a single sided pickingstructure.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one transferdeck comprises two transfer decks disposed at opposite ends of thepicking aisles for forming a two sided picking structure.